November 24th

November 24, 2013

LINCOLN â€” In the days leading up to his main event fight on Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc.â€™s â€śPride & Powerâ€ť card, Peter Manfredo Jr. referred to himself as a boxer who was â€śpast his primeâ€ť and dearly hoped to bring back â€śthe Peter Manfredo Jr. of oldâ€ť one more time.

Not only was Manfredo facing a very tough super middleweight in Lincolnâ€™s Rich Gingras, but he also dedicated his fight to one of his good friends, Cranstonâ€™s Gary Balletto, the former EBA and IBU lightweight champion who was paralyzed from the waist down following an accident at his home in July.

November 23rd

November 23, 2013

WOONSOCKET â€“ Lecture Room A is located a screen pass away from the main entrance of the cityâ€™s public high school.

On this particular November afternoon, the activity inside this theater-esque setting features a business tone. Upon veering off the corridor and through the door, you are greeted by a handful of Woonsocket High football players. They are huddled around a square-shaped table, some with textbooks lying flat on the surface while others elect to rest such important reading material in their laps.

November 23, 2013

NORTH SMITHFIELD â€“ Life is much calmer, less harried, nowadays for C.J. Dandeneau.

For weeks, he admitted being stressed out about which school to choose for his higher education, but no more. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, he signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Connecticut at Storrs; it will be there that he not only will labor in his eventual academic field of choice, but also represent the Huskies' baseball program on a scholarship.

November 22nd

November 22, 2013

CUMBERLAND -- Courtesy of a fierce and furious ground attack, Cumberland High not only claimed a thrilling 49-35 victory over St. Raphael Academy in a R.I. Division II semifinal at Tucker Field on Friday night, but also snagged its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

Can another title be far behind?

If ever there was a career night posted by a Clipper, junior Mike Stock would own it. While bulling his way to 144 yards and four touchdowns on 29 handles, he added a fifth on an 11-yard scoring toss from classmate and quarterback Tyler Calabro.

November 21st

November 21, 2013

PAWTUCKET â€” The saying goes that you can't look ahead without fully understanding where you've been â€“ and why.
Both Cumberland High chief Chris Skurka and St. Raphael Academy mentor Mike Sassi are utilizing that philosophy as they prepare their clubs for a monumental R.I. Division II semifinal, slated for Tucker Field at 7 p.m., Friday.

November 21, 2013

LINCOLN â€” Ask any professional boxer what the toughest part of their craft is and the answer is pretty much unanimous.
Itâ€™s not the fights themselves, nor is it the months of training and sparring they devote prior to those bouts.
Rather, itâ€™s the 24-48 hours before they have to weigh in on the day before their fights, and if you needed any proof of that, all you had to do was check out Thursday afternoonâ€™s final weigh-in and press conference at the Wicked Good Bar & Grillâ€™s back room at Twin River.

November 20th

November 20, 2013

CUMBERLAND â€“ You knew long before the question was posed how uncomfortable Tom Kenwood was.

Now in his 40th year as the Cumberland High boysâ€™ indoor and outdoor track & field mentor, the soft-spoken Kenwood always has dodged â€“ still does â€“ any queries about his impact on the consistent successes of his teams; heâ€™ll talk about his athletesâ€™ intense work ethic and drive, competitive nature, etc., as the reason.

In fact, during this particular â€śsit downâ€ť with Kenwood in the Wellness Centerâ€™s Room 103, surrounded by free weights, Kenwood seemed a bit fidgety.

November 19th

November 19, 2013

LINCOLN â€” Two years ago, a main event between Peter Manfredo Jr. and Rich Gingras would have been very unlikely and one of the last pairings any matchmaker could have imagined.
Two years ago, Manfredo was one of the top middleweight fighters in the world, battling Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for the WBC championship, while Gingras, who fought as a cruiserweight and light heavyweight from 2006-2009, was 26 months removed from his last fight, electing to devote the bulk of his time getting his new gym, Fight 2 Fitness in Pawtucket, off the ground and running smoothly.

November 17th

November 17, 2013

PAWTUCKET â€” If the past is any sort of indicator, the Red Sox can go in one of a number of directions in shopping for a new PawSox manager.

Pawtucket has seen four skippers come and go dating back to Buddy Baileyâ€™s dismissal in 2004. In Ron Johnson and Arnie Beyeler, the Red Sox elected to go the internal route â€“ both received promotions from their managerial posts in Double-A Portland. With Torey Lovullo and most recently Gary DiSarcina, the organization chose to cast a net outside the farm system and bring in someone with already set-in-stone connections.